There are many seemingly simple but very beautiful things around us. Photographs of various things and object compositions can be not only a beautiful pictorial form but also a way of reflecting the world around us. Although the still life genre is gradually being forgotten these days, the photographs made in this genre could look really interesting. Besides, still-life photography teaches the photographer how to find a complete composition of the picture and how to expressively reproduce certain details in the picture. Let’s try to find out the main features and beauty of still life photography.
What Is A Still Life?
Still life is an independent genre of photography, in which the photographer deals with taking pictures of objects, things, and elements of the world around them. It is not just a matter of capturing the beauty of an object, its perfect form, or surface texture. In this genre, the photographer aims at creating a certain artistic image to attract the viewer’s attention and create the most expressive composition. To solve this complicated task a great variety of compositional techniques and pictorial means of photography are used. Objects themselves on pictures should look exactly as we are accustomed to seeing them in real life.
Still Life Photography
It should be noted that still life can be an integral part of a portrait or a genre picture. Moreover, sometimes still life scenes can be even a more laconic story about a person and his character than the portrait itself. Contemporary photography can also be divided into the so-called reportage still life, which, by capturing separate objects, reveals the world of an individual or of an entire historical era. One might think that still life photography is very simple and easy. In fact, this modest genre can be called fundamental in the development of a photographer or artist. Because it is very important to correctly combine objects and arrange the composition in the frame to get the most expressive and interesting pictures. The photographer has to work seriously on the light and color design of the picture, to work out the compositional solution of each photo, to think about how to convey the form of the objects and their texture.
Since when shooting still life there are no time limits, and the photographer is the absolute master of the object with which he or she can do anything, this allows one to feel freer to think about his or her own decisions. The practical skills gained in the process of still life photography can come in handy later on when taking portraits or in landscape photography. In that regard still life photography can be recommended to beginner photographers as a great practice to enhance their photographic skills.
Peculiarities of Still Life Photography
Still life photography usually takes place indoors, where one can have full control over the whole situation and arrange the lighting. As we have already mentioned, when shooting still life, the photographer works with the image of a number of things.
So How Do You Select Subjects for Still Life Scenes?
- There is no clear rule here. The photographer may be interested in the external similarity of seemingly completely dissimilar objects. Or an unusual combination of contrasts and textures of objects. Still lifes can consist of objects that have a common function or similar qualities (such as dishes or flowers), as well as of things that are far from each other. In the latter case, however, it is still necessary to connect the objects being photographed with a certain idea, artistic image, or strongly expressed thought.
- After selecting the subjects, the process of coming up with the artistic and technical side of the shot begins. For many photographers who are engaged in shooting still life scenes, this process is the most interesting and at the same time painful. It’s required to think over the whole picture – from arranging the objects in the frame and selecting the appropriate compositional solution to determining how to technically take the picture in order to correctly convey certain details.
- Some people make several preliminary shots of objects, creating preliminary sketches of the image, and some people try to think it over and draw the composition of the future picture on a piece of paper in an old-fashioned way. You can, however, simply pour things out of the box on the table and, not overthinking the composition of the photograph, start taking pictures. Sometimes this random sprinkling and spontaneous composition can lead to interesting results. Still, the best still life shots come when the photographer carefully considers every detail.
- For still life photography, it is better to use a DSLR camera that makes it possible to get close-up pictures of objects. When you take still life pictures it is a good idea to use a tripod, you can put the camera on it and then try to compose the frame to find the best location for the subjects.
The Background When Taking Pictures
When taking still life photos the right background is very important. Quiet, even tone is usually chosen, with blurred background. Bright objects sometimes look more favorably on a dark background and vice versa, dark objects on a light one. You should keep in mind that white backgrounds work as reflectors that allow for additional illumination of the subject and black backgrounds can cast shadows on the subject. You can use as a background an ordinary sheet of cardboard or heavy drawing paper, or just a smooth wall. Whichever background is used, you should avoid a horizontal line separating the background and the surface where the subjects are placed. It interferes with the perception of the whole picture because it divides the image into two parts. To get rid of the horizontal line you can either use a high vantage point or use a large sheet of paper that goes from horizontal to vertical in the background. Remember that the wrong background can just blot out the perfectly straightened composition of the picture. The background for still life photography does not have to be monochromatic. There are many different possibilities, so you should not be afraid of experimenting.
Bottom Line
Still-life photography is a kind of learning process on how to build a composition, fine detailing, and master lighting techniques. Thanks to the skills and experience gained in still life photography one can increase his skills to work successfully in other genres – portrait, landscape, reportage, or advertising photography.